Still a bit Gilmore but in her own way

FOR seven years, Lauren Graham played caffeinated hipster mom and serial banterer Lorelai Gilmore on the late, great TV series “The Gilmore Girls.” How did she celebrate the end of that job? With a month at a Doubletree hotel in Connecticut, of course. “It’s very glamorous,” she deadpans of her film set digs, where she’s been shooting “The Law of Motion,” with Hilary Swank. “Boy, do I miss my ‘Gilmore Girls’ trailer.”

But for the moment, Graham’s back in L.A., happily ensconced in one of her favorite neighborhood spots, the Alcove Cafe & Bakery in Los Feliz, not too far from her house. Though Graham, 40, made a few films during “Gilmore Girls” (“Bad Santa,” “Because I Said So”), she is now series-free and officially a hot big-screen property. She’ll be heading back to Connecticut shortly, then on to Toronto in July to film “Flash of Genius” with Greg Kinnear, followed by a set in San Francisco for a film costarring Jeff Daniels. And with her current comedy -- “Evan Almighty,” costarring fellow career slacker Steve Carell -- she’s also officially a recognizable name to movie audiences. So what if Graham essentially plays straight man to Carell? (Note to writers: What, you couldn’t toss one of the funniest women on TV a bone?) The point was to broaden her appeal beyond that of her slavish TV fan base. “The part really served the story,” she says. “It’s a cool thing to experience and to have on your resume. It’s a big deal to be in a movie like this.”

But there’s a price for all this success. Big chunks of time away from her neighborhood, her dog, her family and friends -- a close-knit group of 10 people she met when she moved from New York in 1997. Graham clung to being a New Yorker for her first nine years (she grew up in Virginia and moved to New York to attend Barnard College), but she says she’s finally started referring to herself as an Angeleno -- even if, in her opinion, she’ll never resemble one. “There’s definitely a look here that you don’t see anywhere else in the country,” she observes. “It’s blond, super skinny, wearing the same jeans as your teenage daughter. It’s just flashier. The hair’s brighter, the bag’s brighter, the makeup’s sunnier. It’s like a product of the weather.”

When she first arrived in L.A., Graham slept on her aunt’s couch in Long Beach and spent time between auditions hanging in the Beverly Center’s food court. She rented her first apartment in the Park La Brea area after the landlord revealed the last occupant was an actress who moved out after becoming successful. When Graham could finally afford her own place, she chose to live in Los Feliz. “I like it here because it’s mixed and not any one profile,” she says. “It’s the neighborhood I’m committed to because I love my grocery store [the Hollywood Mayfair] and I love Griffith Park.”

The former Gilmore Girl ran through a few of her favorite L.A. weekend activities -- including (like we had to ask) her favorite spot for a caffeine fix.

L.A. side dishes

I tend to stay on the east side of town -- I get nervous if I get west of La Cienega. That’s like my cutoff, although I will drive to Beverly Hills on occasion. I actually like driving. When I first got here I bought a red Volkswagen Cabriolet, which was the car I always wanted. Then there was this moment when I realized: Hey, wait a minute. What am I doing driving a convertible? I’m pale and Irish! And after driving down PCH one time -- being like, “I’m in Hollywood” -- after that, all you do is smell the exhaust. But you have to live the dream.

After working all week, I’m all about going out to dinner. There are really five places I go: Grace, where I’m an investor and my friend Neal Fraser is the chef, or Neal’s other restaurant, BLD. I also go to A.O.C., Blair’s and I love Jar. If I go to Jar, I’ll eat meat. I feel like I should have been in Hollywood 50 years ago because what I really love is a martini, a steak and some creamed spinach. Really, it’s all about the sides at Jar.

Cuppa rock ‘n’ roll

It probably won’t surprise anyone, but before I go anywhere on Saturday morning I need coffee. I usually get my fix at the rock ‘n’ roll Coffee Bean in Hollywood. It’s in the bottom of a building where I’m sure there are music people, because you always see boys in skinny jeans and girls with tattoos hanging out. Sometimes I go closer to home, to a “regular” Coffee Bean on Hillhurst. Then I take a hike with my dog, Hannah, in Griffith Park. I don’t usually like naming dogs after people, but she’s a rescue dog and came with “Hannah,” and I didn’t want to confuse her by changing her name. I haven’t been to Griffith Park since the fire, but it’s been scary around here since then. The coyotes are getting really bold, and there’s a lot of critters around who’ve been misplaced.

Although I don’t spend my weekends doing spas and beautification -- I don’t like to waste my time doing personal maintenance -- I really have been wanting to go to a new spa called dtox in Atwater Village. That’s where the Eastside people are going these days.

On some Saturday afternoons, my sister [Shade Grant] and I do a Beverly Hills day. It’s a little shopping on Rodeo Drive, some at Barneys, a stop at Neiman Marcus, and we’ll end with a drink in the front bar of the Reg. Bev. Wil. [The Regent Beverly Wilshire to you.] Everyone there is from out of town. My sister grew up in England, and it makes her feel at home to see Euros. People don’t usually bother me because it’s not a “Gilmore Girls” crowd. It’s more like men smoking cigars, talking, having drinks.

We don’t stop for lunch when we’re shopping because you’ve got to do it in one chunk and either eat before or after. Later in the afternoon, when we’re driving toward home, we might stop at this great store, Lost & Found, on Yucca. There are a bunch of little boutiques that are taking over that block near Vine. Lost & Found is good for gifts -- it’s a little bit of housewares and a little bit of clothes. Sometimes we’ll hang out in Los Feliz and hit Skylight Books on Vermont. That’s where I got my last haul of books.

I have a barbecue in my backyard, and I like to have people over. I cook half of the meal and then order half from Joan’s on Third. I get a bunch of appetizers, like their corn fritters and baked brie with honey and nuts on top. It’s amazing. They also do great coconut shrimp. The ideal meal for me is really just a bunch of appetizers. If I was going to open a restaurant, it would either be called Bunch of Appetizers or Everything Is a Casserole, because I also like things in combinations.

Dance clubs aren’t for me, but I do go out on Saturday nights to comedy clubs or to hear music at places like Largo on Fairfax. I definitely need a place where I can sit down. We also never miss the Hollywood Bowl for their Sing-A-Long “Sound of Music.” Last year’s costume winner was the carburetor that gets pulled out of the car. My friend has a costume that he claims is going to win this year [on Saturday], but he won’t tell me what it is yet.

A dog and a cat

One of the best places in town for Sunday brunch is here at Alcove Cafe & Bakery. Their eggs are delicious, and so is the bacon -- really serious, thick-cut bacon. I watch what I eat and I eat really clean, but when I have something bad, I don’t do substitutes. If we don’t come here, my friends and I will hit the Hungry Cat over near the ArcLight. It’s amazing for brunch. We were going there every Sunday for a while so we could order their crab cake benedict.

Sundays often include an hour and a half massage with Barbara Donoghue. She’s from Ireland, and I find her Irish lilt very soothing. She’s also great with my dog, who has an anxiety disorder. You can’t close the door on Hannah; she has to be in the room.

Sunday night my sister and I hit Mexico City in Los Feliz for some fantastic Mexican food. Everything they have is great, but we split an order of chicken fajitas. We’ll occasionally go for Mexican at Malo if we’re with my friends who live even farther east. They’re Silver Lake people, and you have to compromise with the Silver Lake people.

weekend@latimes.com

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The places she goes

Alcove Cafe & Bakery

1929 Hillhurst Ave.

Los Angeles

(323) 644-0100

A.O.C.

8022 W. 3rd St.

Los Angeles

(323) 653-6359

Barneys New York

9570 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills

(310) 276-4400

BLD

7450 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles

(323) 930-9744

Blair’s

2903 Rowena Ave.

Los Angeles

(323) 660-1882

dtox day spa

3206 Los Feliz Blvd.

Los Angeles

(323) 665-3869

dtoxdayspa.com

Grace

7360 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles

(323) 934-4400

Hungry Cat

1535 N. Vine St.

Hollywood

(323) 462-2155

Jar

8225 Beverly Blvd.

Los Angeles

(323) 655-6566

Joan’s on Third

8350 W. 3rd St.

Los Angeles

(323) 655-2285

Largo

432 N. Fairfax Ave.

West Hollywood

(323) 852-1073

Lost & Found

6314 Yucca St.

Los Angeles

(323) 856-0921

Malo

4326 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles

(323) 664-1011

Mexico City

2121 Hillhurst Ave.

Los Angeles

(323) 661-7227

Neiman Marcus

9200 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills

(310) 550-5900

Skylight Books

1818 N. Vermont Ave.

Los Angeles

(323) 666-2202

Sing-A-Long “Sound of Music”

Saturday, the Hollywood Bowl

2301 N. Highland Ave.

(323) 850-2000; hollywoodbowl.com

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

6255 W. Sunset Blvd., Suite 170

Los Angeles

(323) 962-7078

2081 Hillhurst Ave., L.A.

(323) 913-3457